The postings that you see are political in nature, and important (in my humble opinion) to our world and its future. I've been disgusted, repulsed, and in a state of revulsion ever since the Republicans reared their ugly right-wing heads and decided for once and all, that every small step taken for humankind should be eradicated. So if you find this blog biased, you're not in a minority.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Thank You, Garrison Keillor!

Congress' shameful retreat from American values

Published October 4, 2006

I would not send my college kid off for a semester abroad if I were you.Last week, we suspended human rights in America, and what goes aroundcomes around. Ixnay habeas corpus.

The U.S. Senate, in all its splendor and majesty, decided that an "enemycombatant" is any non-citizen whom the president says is an enemycombatant, including your Korean greengrocer or your Swedish grandmotheror your Czech au pair, and can be arrested and held for as long asauthorities wish without any right of appeal to a court of law toexamine the matter. If your college kid were to be arrested in Bangkokor Cairo, suspected of "crimes against the state" and held in prison,you'd assume that an American foreign service officer would be able tospeak to your kid and arrange for a lawyer, but this may not be trueanymore. Be forewarned.

The Senate also decided it's up to the president to decide whether it'sOK to make these enemies stand naked in cold rooms for a couple of daysin blinding light and be beaten by interrogators. This is now purely abureaucratic matter: The plenipotentiary stamps the file "enemycombatants" and throws the poor schnooks into prison and at his leisurehe tries them by any sort of kangaroo court he wishes to assemble andthey have no right to see the evidence against them, and there is noappeal. This was passed by 65 senators and will now be signed byPresident Bush, put into effect, and in due course be thrown out by thecourts.

It's good that Barry Goldwater is dead because this would have killedhim. Go back to the Senate of 1964--Goldwater, Dirksen, Russell,McCarthy, Javits, Morse, Fulbright--and you won't find more than 10votes for it.

To paraphrase Sir Walter Scott: Mark their names and mark them well. Forthem, no minstrel raptures swell. High though their titles, proud theirname, boundless their wealth as wish can claim, these wretched figuresshall go down to the vile dust from whence they sprung, unwept,unhonored and unsung.

Three Republican senators made a show of opposing the bill and afterthey'd collected all the praise they could get, they quickly folded. Whybe a hero when you can be fairly sure that the court will dispose ofthis piece of garbage.

If, however, the court does not, then our country has taken a steptoward totalitarianism. If the government can round up someone and neverbe required to explain why, then it's no longer the United States as youand I always understood it. Our enemies have succeeded beyond theirwildest dreams. They have made us become like them.

I got some insight last week into who supports torture when I went downto Dallas to speak at Highland Park Methodist Church. It was spooky. Iwalked in, was met by two burly security men with walkie-talkies, andwithin 10 minutes was told by three people that this was the Bushes'church and that it would be better if I didn't talk about politics. Iwas there on a book tour for "Homegrown Democrat," but they thought itbetter if I didn't mention it. So I tried to make light of it: I toldthe audience, "I don't need to talk politics. I have no need even to beinterested in politics--I'm a citizen, I have plenty of money and mygrandsons are at least 12 years away from being eligible for militaryservice." And the audience applauded! Those were their sentimentsexactly. We've got ours, and who cares?

The Methodists of Dallas can be fairly sure that none of them will besnatched off the streets, flown to Guantanamo Bay, stripped naked,forced to stand for 48 hours in a freezing room with deafening noise. Sowhy should they worry? It's only the Jews who are in danger, and thehomosexuals and gypsies. The Christians are doing fine. If you can'ttrust a Methodist with absolute power to arrest people and not have tosay why, then whom can you trust?

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Garrison Keillor is a syndicated columnist and host of "A Prairie HomeCompanion."